Videoconferencing units are complex devices, requiring complicated functions to operate. Therefore, videoconferencing vendors create special remote controls and menus to operate the units, but these can be hard to learn and use. This is especially true when the unit has several functional capabilities.
Additionally, good quality microphone pickup in a videoconference requires the participants to be no more than 3-feet from the microphones. Therefore, videoconferencing vendors provide special microphones for placement on tables near the participants in a conference room. The microphones often have wires that can get in the way. As a solution, wireless microphones are available for videoconferencing systems, but they need to be repeatedly recharged if used often, which can be inconvenient.
Moreover, groups of people often work and travel together. For example, students in a study group may study together at a library, or business travelers may work together as they travel on business. Using a laptop or a tablet, each person can use a videoconferencing application, such as the Polycom® CMA™ Desktop application, the Skype® application, or the FaceTime® application, to individually videoconference from his device and location. (POLYCOM and CMA are trademarks of Polycom, Inc.; SKYPE is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation; and FACETIME is a trademark of Apple Inc.) However, if all the people are in one conference room in a hotel, library, or other location, they may want to meet with each other and have a videoconference with far-end participants somewhere else.
For mobile group conferencing today, people have to crowd around one laptop or tablet to participate in a videoconference. This is inconvenient for a number of reasons. The display is too small for a group of people to view properly. The camera tends to capture only a wide shot of everyone, and their faces become small in the video image. Additionally, the audio pickup from a single microphone is poor.
The subject matter of the present disclosure is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.